Outside the framework of our rational consciousness exist a dimension the Sufis call the heart of knowing. We will explore the means by which we can access this evolutionary inheritance, of an intelligent universe.

$ 15.00 donation – Pre-registration requested.
To organize material for the seminar, we would appreciate a call to confirm your participation. 206 363 5803 or email wajid.gallien@gmail.com Leave a message with your name and the date of the seminar.

The essence and direction of our journey during our lives, are hidden in the “Intention” that has driven and therefore shaped our destiny. As a human being our experience of this force of nature, this manifestation of God in our very being, is an aspect of our will and resolve. When combined in a harmonious expression they become a divine declaration via the heart (resolve) and the mind (will). Action and non-action, movement and rest are felt as clues illuminating a path that reveals itself in a flurry of impressions both instinctive and intuitive, whirling madly around each other in search of balance, of harmony, which is, for the one who endures the experience, Love Divine.

What do we know of this Love Divine? Through meditations we have identified this condition to be the natural state of our being. Nevertheless, we need to remember that the intensity of our pleasure in love, is in proportion to the intensity of our experience of separation, of our longing to reunite with this natural condition, which again and again we forget. Yet, we also known that a balance between these opposites can only be a brief experience, due to the essential mandate of nature, to create friction as the source of all that is, particularly divine intelligence.

Part 3 – Directions for the Labyrinth of Mind.
Saturday, February 17th

Part 4 – Interpreting the given signs.
Saturday, March 3rd

Outside the frame work of our rational consciousness exist a dimension the Sufis call the heart of knowing. We will explore the means by which we can access this evolutionary inheritance, of an intelligent universe.
$ 15.00 donation – Pre-registration requested.
To organize material for the seminar, we would appreciate a call to confirm your participation. 206 363 5803 or email wajid.gallien@gmail.com Leave a message with your name and the date of the seminar.

The Supreme Origin – and End – of all things is Absolute Truth, which alone has Reality in the full sense, and which manifests or creates at lesser degrees of reality, the whole of existence. Martin Lings “The eleventh Hour”

The source of the above quote is an interpretation of a well-known Quranic passage: “I was a Hidden Treasure, and loved to be known, and so I created the world.” This quote carries a quintessential clue to the study of the Sufi way. In as much as it offers one of the primary revelations regarding the nature of reality. In other words, we are offered an insight into the realm of existence, of creation from the perspective of Universal Intelligence, the One is manifest in two primordial creative forces born out of Itself.

At some point in our conscious history Divine Intelligence was recognized as the One and only, “The Real,” not subject to creation as we know and observer it. That aspect we named ‘reality,’ the product of the interactions between the two as they existenciate, otherwise known as, Ying, Yang, positive, receptive / negative, Jalal, Jamal in Sufism. Also understood in a general way as Spirit and matter.

From a simplified perspective we could say humanity is a receptacle or a merging environment for the creative forces of spirit and matter to engage each other toward an evolutionary design, yet unclear to us as to its ultimate purpose, although many masters, saint, and prophets have attempted to inform us.

What we know is that there is within each camp, spiritual, and material, as we descend through the multiplying layers of manifestation, some manner of replications, with a number of ranges and degrees of immediate influence, reproducing in different ways the original two primordial forces.

Therefore, after a laborious restatement of the obvious mentioned in the original quote by Martin Lings we find ourselves at the level and space of our personal self-contained, daily life, interacting with our environment and our inner life, in the intimacy of our thoughts. I mention this because according to the Sufis the realization of our intimacy with our thoughts is a crucial stage in human evolution. The importance comes from the realization of being present at a junction where the transcendental and the temporal meet. Although our thoughts might feel inconsequential in their solidity, we know they have a concrete impact on life, they are a refined expression of matter, therefore subject to the influencing conflict of opposites, Jalal, Jamal, or positive, negative.

The relationship of our thoughts to the temporal world, or matter, refined as it may be, indicates that when we think and express our thoughts there is an association with our physicality, our body, which links us to our instinct, to survival and the need to define ourselves in the social context with which we interact through a, consciously or unconsciously, self-created persona, otherwise known as Ego. In other words, our thoughts, and words once spoken or written, become the fabric of our ego. Whether we are compassionate, ruthless, spiritual or devilish, the construct of the ego does not dissipate once we give it ‘reality’, it becomes the means, the see-through glass through which we observe, react and express our experiences. It changes us, becomes our identity, because we believe ‘we’ are it.

The Greeks made distinguishing the different forms of egos or personas into an art form. They would wear a mask in front of their faces representing a particular persona that they would enact until the end of the act when they would lower the mask letting everyone know the difference between the actor and the persona of the mask. It was a reminder that the mask, the ego is always on as long as we identify with it.

What Sufism tell us is, first that the ego is always on, as long as one thinks and express one’s thoughts, and second that the only time we actually are and express our true spiritual nature, that is we transcend the persona, is in the silence present between thoughts. The reason for which some teachers become silent ones (Muni). The next stage requires learning to know oneself, one’s mind and after a time consciously transforming it to some degree or other into an expression of beauty. For which, by the way, there is no standard as each instant of beauty is relevant to itself.

Can this be done you ask, of course, I say. Simplifying it, I would say the only practice is, to be aware of and ending our identification with the lowest common denominators.

Is it hard, you ask. Hell, yes. Mostly because it is not fashionable.

All of the above addresses our impression of reality, and what we consider to be the truth, from our individual perspective, which has a propensity toward change. From our ‘seeing is believing’ point of reference it seems to be a sustainable proposition, but according to Hindu teachings, it is all but a mirage, an illusion created by a desire for permanence, for consistency, which we know depends on and reinforces the illusion of time. The river of time does not slow down or change as long as we insist in identify with the temporal. The temporal or matter, is a product in progress, manufactured from a self-creating design, a cosmic blue print drawing from the unseen potential of Divine Intelligence.

In Sufism ‘The Real’ therefore, is the source of all that is, was and might be. Humanity’s general concept of spirituality, aside for a few exceptions, is the lowest common denominator of the spiritual realm. I do not say this in a derogatory way, but simply because as long as we exist and live in the corporeal world, for the most part we do not have the motivation to experience the plenitude of the silence of spiritual dimensions. In other words, we fear the loss of the self and not being be able to function appropriately in society.

Keep in mind that to truly experience the silence of the spiritual dimension, is not something we can actually pursue. If we do, we imbued the silence with a motion of desire, going toward or away from something. The purity of the silence is in the inner stillness of the instant.

It is a realm believed to be the domain of prophets, even though in our spiritual experiences, we are intuitively compelled, by the very nature of the ‘Real’ in us, to participate in response to a instinctive/ intuitive imperative, woven in the very fabric of our lives. It compels us subtly to evolve, through an integration of the spiritual and the temporal.

This challenge invokes in us a conflicting reaction, considering that one of our fear, is the unknown, the unpredictable. We are asked to integrate the spiritual and the temporal, and understand our fears in conjunction with the exploration of the spiritual world. Which as it is does not permit the entry of the ego or persona in its domain. That is to say that, as long as we speak, write or attempt to define the spiritual realm, we are affirming the temporal. In other words, At the start of our journey, we interact with one or the other, but are rarely able to simultaneously maintain and experience both. We are somewhat at the frustrating mercy of our ego/persona as a translator searching to refine its creative interpretation of a subject for which we use words that are never fully adequate. We do have occasional experiences of the spiritual realm leaving fuzzy dream like memories, difficult to recollect, although they can leave the echo of a pleasant emotional after-taste.

So, the question begging an answer is: Is it possible for a human being to function in the spiritual realm? And the answer is…….Yes, but.

Divine Intelligence is looking to access our deepest yearning through cracks on the shield of our persona, a shield made of all our yesterdays.

Therefore, before we attempt to transit into transcendence, it is best to familiarize ourselves with the fine demarcation line that straddles both realms. A threshold we know because of the cracks on the shield of our persona, cracks discovered during meditation when with a peaceful open mind, we go beyond inspiration into a receptive state whereby we are susceptible in the silence of the moment to experience a revelation. A drop from the ocean of Divine Intelligence.

Having had this experience, perhaps now we can grasp the meaning of the quote from Martin Lings: Our own spirit does not belong to us, and we only have full aces to it to the extent that we know this.

The symbol of the flower of life, in this version represent in its totality what was for many centuries a secret known and shared only by an elite initiated into the inner circle of esoteric knowledge. An initiation given to those who after many tests and a long discipleship, during which they progressively learned to decipher and understand the symbolism revealed to the initiate through an inner (heart) wisdom only accessible after a thorough transformation of the individual’s consciousness. Now, all this information is available, to anyone who cares to look.

Within the larger containing circle are 7 smaller circles, each representing a mode of thinking and being. The progression moves from the peripheral circles at one o’clock on the right, all the way to 11 o’clock on the left. A the center of the larger containing circle is the seventh circle through which each of the peripheral circle connect with each other, a point of unity. The central circle represents the sacred inner sanctum, or the core of the teaching, in relation to each peripheral circle that progressively moves from the gross, at one o’clock, through each of the experiential dimensions until it reaches the very subtle at eleven o’clock.

The inner circle therefore is the quintessential source of the six peripheral circle. It holds the four elements of earth, water, fire and air in their essential condition which throughout the ages have been recognized in their very subtle condition as archangels, and as such where given names. In the ancient traditions there are known as the four pillars of the throne of God, or of the throne of Mercy, and a few other names depending on which tradition we focus.

This process of learning for the most part starts from the lower, outer mode of consciousness, in the same manner that we attend different degree of schooling, each time relying on the previous learning to move on to the next, until through persistence we reach the top levels of education, perhaps a PhD. Yet, there are a number of stories in the ancient traditions that relate an event whereby an individuals with no previous interest in esoteric or religious things, has a sudden transformative experience producing a form of revelation, which provokes in them an urge to share, to understand and make sense of it. All of this to say that mostly we start at the bottom, but occasionally someone experience a reversal and start from the nothingness of the all-pervading.

There is according to ancient tablets and later found in scriptures, at the center of the four pillars holding the throne of God, a first creation of Divine manifestation, “the two”. Two opposite forces, attracted to each other in a constant all-consuming cosmic dance. The essential source of all things, known and unknown, in our universe. In other words we might think of it as the two positive/negative poles of the beginning of time. Henceforth, the cause of time and space, as far as we know. We find this dual energy in all things created in both the Microcosm and Macrocosm. In other words to quote an ancient saying “as above, so below”..

I have borrowed the Taoist symbol of the Yin and Yang to represent this extraordinary source of life, but many different representation can be found in the arts, science, medicine, religions, etc. In Sufism they are addressed by Sufi Hazrat Inayat Khan “There is the law of attraction of each to its opposite. There are two great forces in nature: the creative force and the receptive force that answers to it, or the active force and the passive force, Jalal and Jamal”. What is important is not so much knowing what it means and that it is out there, but being able to observe their process and the influence they exerts on our life. “We” as we think we are, are dominated by this two energies / forces and react to life in ways that we can only free ourselves from, when we finally learn to observe them, and to recognize their unconscious working, leading us to eventually take charge of our automatic reactions, through acts of will, that foster action. In other words we are in a somewhat sleep induced automatic reactive mode, the sleeper needs to awaken. Which might happen naturally through a chock to our system or through a sense of emptiness that prevails no matter how successful we might be. Sometimes it will be a chance contact with a person that awakens in us a deep longing that we have ignored for too long.

But I digress from the symbolical description of the flower of life. If you have looked at the symbol you will have noticed that each peripheral circle has an attribute representing a stage of understanding. Starting with Temperance, followed by Courage, then wisdom, Justice, Revelations, and Unity. These are key word or clues to what is needed to explore and understand the state of being represented by that circle. They further interact with their opposite circle. So you have Temperance balanced by Justice, courage by Revelations, Wisdom, by Unity, and the same in reverse. These are as it were intentional key words to guide and concentrate our consciousness toward a state of awaken meditation. Which means that we are able to intuit the relationship of the Yin/Yang, the Jalal, Jamal in relation to each circle that is symbolical of a state of consciousness.

There are more words in the central circle, such as Harmony, Beauty, Hahut (most high spiritual attainment, or Samadhi) and Love. These are subtle emotional conditions one must be prepared to experience, to receive the most valued key of the interactive domain of the two great forces in nature:the creative force and the receptive force, or the active force and the passive force, Jalal and Jamal, or the Yin and yang.

Considering that only so much can be said in the present form, we must take counsel from the Sufi literature reminding us of the need for the student to have a friend on the journey, a guide to help cross bridges from one state to another, to avoid entanglement in a mire of speculations that can lead astray the traveler on the path of the heart.

At this stage in our meditation we are required to change our mode of thinking. As we look inwardly into a world of light energies and forms, we discover in the silence of our experience an expanding universe in which, up and down, higher and lower no longer defines our experience. We are in a realm whereby each plane of consciousness is made of the sum of all its parts, and itself a part of a greater sum. An expanding universe is curved, which prompted Buckminster Fuller to suggest we use, in and out, instead of up and down. In a similar fashion the concept of hierarchy no longer matches our realization, and another word is progressively replacing it. Rupert Sheldrake in the book The Physics of Angels writes “ I think “holarchy” is fine, because actually what “hier” means (from hierarchy) is not just sacred but holy; and “holy” has the same root in English as “whole”. Likewise in Greek holos means whole.” Therefore in a holarchy we have a better descriptive experience of a curved inner space made of the sum of its part, each, a part of a greater sum.

We wonder, why it is so difficult to “breakthrough”. What is it that distorts and stands in the way of “my love”? The answer to the question is in our intention. Not all motives, though spiritual, are pure. Often enough they are not even an intention, but an impulse. Some look to compensate for frailty of character, some to gain power, others for to find an easy way in life. Any such desires, conscious or unconscious are like a weight on our spirit, keeping it from reaching its natural fulfillment. Wajid

I have occasionally spoken of the fact that we are a product of our environment, often with the expectation of an understanding that varied according to the subject I was addressing at the time. Considering the importance of understanding the place and influence of conditioning and our propensity toward simplification, to interpret a statement or word to its most common use, it behooves us to have a more detailed and yet broad understanding of this idea.

First we need to look into the primordial environmental start of this process, which happens to be the time our parent have the sexual encounter that will provide the two elements carrying the DNA that will be the basis of the structure that will produce our physical body.

There is no denying that we carry the imprint and are the product of that first primal exposure in the environment of our mother’s womb.

Because during our life we have a psychological need to feel some sense of control and a desire to account for our destiny, there has been talk in the spiritual community about our having a choice on the karmic possibility of our life, that we chose the parental situation that will provide the learning and exposure to certain experiences. I mention this because it might be true, although my penchant from experience, as a variation on that theme, is that we are attracted by the sympathetic resonance of our parents reflecting our own as a divine spark, which is how the spiritual world seems to function. Being that most of us cannot personally ascertain the reality of this belief, I leave it at that, a choice of personal belief that offers a supporting mode of thinking from that ideology.

From this humble beginning we progressively become a conglomeration of impressions, nutrients, emotions, sounds etc. picked up from the immediate environment of our mother, and less directly at this stage, our father through his influence and relationship with our mother and the environment they jointly create. All of this at a deep experiential level, that will remain with us throughout our life, unless at some point we feel the need for a purification in order to reconnect with the original divine spark, from which all started.

After a gestation of nine months we are delivered into the world of direct experiences, hopefully under the emotional, psychic, and physical protection of our parents. This is when our inherent inner potential instinctively begins exploring our immediate world. From innocence, at least of the world of form, and with an inherent curiosity, inspired by an original intention (yet to be discovered), we begin a process of informational absorption, limited only by our brain capacity and rapidity of assimilation.

Slowly at first, but progressively faster, we acquire (instinctual) knowledge and (intellectual) education. All of which eventually brings us to a bifurcation on the road of becoming, a moment in time in our life that is not of the realm of time, but circumstantial. In other words this instant will come and go many times, as long as we don’t recognize the opportunity offered by the challenge of the bifurcation. If one of this moments happen to have all the right ingredients, the sleep walker may awaken.

The important question is, what does awakening mean, what is it that changes in a person in this process from sleep to awaken?

To comprehend the process of awakening we need to go back to the early years of our journey, when our brain and our innocence, needed to rely on trust and accepted words and concepts at face value. We were given meanings and definitions on words and thoughts, according to our parents, friends and school teachers, an understanding, that also made sense to them, as they acquired their information in the same manner from their parents, friends and school teachers. We observed that society used the same words and concepts and that it worked for people. That there was acknowledgement and that grades of proficiency were given according to familiarity and proficiency of use.

Although for some, the social norm of learning did not work well. From the start, they found they had a different association with words and thinking. To them the way the dictionary meaning of words was used seemed limiting, when using them they felt a superficiality, which boxed them in, hiding a deeper dimension of understanding that they experienced in painting, music, dance and other artistic forms of expression.

In the meantime the public and particularly the scholarly individuals, found satisfaction in the orderliness of the clear definition of words. The world being full of unknown, of unexpected, it is gratifying, for most people, to be able to count on regularity, and to have the security of rational expectations. In other words to exist in a structured world, where the unexpected is kept a bay. Which indeed makes life easier and more manageable, “when it works.”

So we can safely say that there is nothing wrong with this structured model, of society, of the world. Except that is, when the individual begins to feel stifled, and mentally and emotionally suppressed. The security, and orderliness that came from the intellectual knowledge and thinking perspective becomes oppressive by its limitation. There is a lack of depth in that form of communication that reveals an emptiness of being that cannot be satisfied with more of the same, be it words, thoughts or objects. There is a feeling of wanting to break free from the confining box of shallow exchange, when the environment and society become a hollow mode of communication rehashing prescribed sound bites, without the depth of personal thinking about one’s words. If we are able to catch it “That instant, is the bifurcation on the road.”

What is the solution, which has been spoken, hinted, shared, by mystics, be they masters, saints, prophets or other? Which of course, society loves to hate, or hates to love, depending on what they have to say.

The solution is to crack open the box of our conditioned mind, the very framework that has provided some illusory sense of security. To daringly experience the far reaching radiance of our own intuitive intelligence, to enter into the uncertainty of a reality, that has a depth beyond our rational, that requires an emotional availability to the shattering of one’s perspective of the world, on the rock of truth. Yes, it might be painful, or as painful as one tries to resist, due to a deep fear of the unknown. But the gain is the discovery of an emotional depth that reveals an experiential knowledge that will takes us to the far edge of our humanity, to reach into the purpose of our life, in a dimension of being that harbors no dependency no analysis, just a quality of silence to one’s listening.